The name 'Happy Planet Index' is misleading. HPI measures not happiness, but ecological efficiency in supporting well being. Also the 'Earth is a scarce resource' argument is bunk, as it doesn't take into account the price mechanism (things get more expensive when they are rarer, thus pushing people onto alternatives) and is Malthusian at best. Otherwise, the main point that growth does not equal to happiness is great! Indeed, growth and happiness has zero correlation.
i think were on the right track with this index but i dont see how countries like mexico who are in drug wars and poverty ridden can have a higher rating than a country like sweden with so many social welfare programs and how their culture is much more communally driven
I don't know about this... I live in the USA and Panama, and I wouldn't say that people are happier in Panama. Certainly, they use fewer resources to live, but by and large I don't see them as happier. Maybe the men are because they are on top of the food chain, but I'd say women there are much more labored, uneducated, burdened by too many children, poorly nourished, and just not that happy. Perhaps it's that their labor is most influenced by not using resources? This doesn't add up to me.
I would have been on my feet for the applause at the end, wow. These are the values that underpin all of humanity, we all need to carry them with us every day of our lives and encourage them in everyone that we meet through what we do and say. Thanks for this great talk, it couldn't have been put better
He's absolutely right about environmentalists using fear to spread their agenda. There's nothing wrong with polluting less. It's something ALL of us should be on board with. But using extreme rhetoric and fear tactics has backfired BIG TIME in the past generation, and frankly, it's time for a new paradigm. People will react to a positive agenda that lays out benefits clearly.
I don't like the religiosity connected to the "positive twist" of the ecological movement. That's the same I see in friends &acquaintances that are active in this movement. Enthusiasm is good, but connecting a preacher to the ecological movement is, in my humble opinion, destroying some of the credibility of it, if it is his role as a preacher that is praised. Granted, MLK fought for his people, not for his church. But still, if you really want to change people's lifes, use economic incentives!
The gradual increase in "happy life years" over time is probably ENTIRELY due to the constant increase in average life expectancy, and not due to increases in happiness.
Finance, e.g. the stock market, is a fixed measurement and result. It is 6, or 7, or 8 or whatever. You are accountable for results. You live with the results.
The environmental movement runs on feelings and emotion. Global Ice Age turns into Acid Rain turns into Global Warming turns into Climate Change. Each has some data, but are not provable and no one is held accountable, a.k.a. gets fired, because they "feel". The eco movement will never want true measurement and accountability.
Ohh! I love that little experiment of his with giving 200 dollars to people and see if they are happier at the end of the day after spending it on themselves or on others!
Let me get this straight. People don't become happy spending money they DIDN'T EARN on themselves. That is somehow supposed to equate with having to spend your own hard earned money on other people who didn't earn it rather then yourself?
This guy needs to think a bit more about the stuff he is saying.
This is baloney. Standard economics takes into account resource use already and it already takes into account happiness. This is just an attempt to re-write economics by some subjective standards this guy wants.
And trying to directly measure "happiness" in Costa Rica or anywhere else is futile. People can't judge their own happiness in comparison with others, the entire idea is based on data that is impossible to collect. This whole thing is a joke.
what about a $ amount for all living beings. I remember a professor, in charge of all the trees in California @ UC Berkeley had no $ support for research to understand why the diseased Tan Oaks were on the road to extinction.
If there was profit in making happy it would happen in a year. I am sure change/transition is coming. I am afraid disaster will bring it about. There are many sensible people looking for ways to bring the world into a more happy state of being. The problem lies in the old ways of thinking. The government is not going to do it. Business will not do it. People have to take the responsibility to do it themselves.
Definitely one of the most empowering talks from TED. This is why organizations such as TED is such an important piece of the 21st century. If we listened to the TEDtalks instead of corrupt politicians, we would revolutionize this planet within 25 years.
does anyone see why costa rica may have a higher life expectancy compared to the us? how about population size! costa rica is way smaller than the us!
The only thing I see that they are forgetting is that Costa Rica is very tiny compared to the USA and other Western countries. Maybe... They are comparing the ratio of population to resources used, but it's not stated, so I don't know.
Happiness is definitely something that many of us are seeking after. To connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give... I do believe that these are the things that keep us happy for most of the time. The only thing is that happy people are less likely to be as successful as others...
being "happy" is a choice. it is your mind, change it as you see fit.
empower yourself.
i am very "green" without the assistance of "government"-it is not an answer-it is cancer. the entire cap and trade hoax is nothing more than a scheme, devised by ENRON to shake us down, and enrich cretins like goldamn sachs, algore "the carbon whore" and the other owners of CCX.
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TMZS go fuck yourself people who are poor stay poor for their own reasons. The only one who is a greedy douche is you faggot. To say that we must give our money to people who are destitute for no reason out of compusolry? Thats theft clear and thru, and lets go into that America's give more charity to the world each year than any damn other country's government does.Go live north korea where capitalism and selfishness is supressed tell me how that goes for you faggot bastard die while shitting.
@imperiallion You are a fucking moron and an illiterate. You piggy little weakling. You confuse typical crooked US accounting fraud with reality. You despicable lame cowardly fool.
Nic, great stuff! you can track, measure, and send happiness in organizations and the world that matter with Mazimo Magic Moments ... Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Appreciate Learn, Give some Magic today. A free account can give you a lot of happiness. I invite you to the beta user group
Stop all the Catholics and Morons, ah hum, Mormons from having 10 kids per family... and get rid of all the fucking assholes out there and we'll all be happier.
That's what the environmentalists should do. They should put up ads showing a picture of Costa Rica and saying something like saving the Earth could make your home look like this.
How telling, that this Youtube thread (a website generally populated by Americans) is loaded with attacks and venom towards this speech. It should say something about the American psychological condition of greed, selfishness and complete disregard for the rest of the world. How sad.
@LokiClock Isn't running your mouth in public how we reflect on ourselves, others, and society itself. Isn't that called calling a spade a spade? If you are somehow offended by the statement Loki then it is you who has the broad, national sense of identity is it not? It is accurate to say that it is embeddeded in U.S / U.K culture to care very much for the 'self' - whether its materialism or status -and it's true, it's unsurprising this kind of video is attacked.I see nothing prejudice about it.
@LokiClock Actually in science it's called observation, not prejudice. Prejudice would be me making that statement before anyone said a word, assuming American's (who represent the greatest demographic of YT) would attack this video. However, in this case, I'm stating observed fact, that the majority of this thread IS attacking this video, and the demographics still apply in either case.
Note: I'm an American, and dislike the arrogant selfish attitudes we've cultivated.
@TZMSocialEvolution This is just weak inductive reasoning that results in a false generalization. Some Americans (we're assuming) made nasty comments. Therefore, we can now draw conclusions about all Americans.
@LesGomez No, it's called statistical analysis. Everything I've stated serves as true indicators. And I never said 'all', I made it general on purpose, because unless I survey every person on here, I cannot make an exact determination. However, many of the comments themselves are directly telling.
@TZMSocialEvolution Ironically the popularity of your reply undoes its own conclusion! A good number of people (most likely Americans we're forced now to assume) agree with you. With that in mind weak induction gives this argument too much credit. It's really just good old fashioned name calling. :)
@LesGomez Is it name calling to make an observation on what is actually observed? I'm basing my statements on what's actually happening in this thread & the truth of the demographic characteristics of YouTube.
But you do make an excellent point, that those who agree with me are also probably Americans. Yet it only undoes my conclusion if the support outnumbers the negatives. Hard to gauge that one.
Or maybe it points out that this video is nonsense. We Americans have invented most of the world's modern day technology and we have done more to make ourselves and the rest of the world better off then any other nation in the last 200 years.
The rest of the world has a lot to thank us for, including our "greed" which has motivated us to improve the world so much.
@Aliothemage Go back and check your history books. The majority of our technology was invented by immigrants from other nations (Germany, Serbia, etc). The country of America gave them a chance to do their work, but they weren't naturally "American". Of course, to define what is American would be an interesting topic, but the attitude is exemplified by your statements.
"THANKS TO US," without regard to the exploitation, corruption and force employed globally to make it so. Hypocritical.
Lol, last I checked Immigrants were American. They came to America for a reason, or more accurately, many reasons. Those reasons and they themselves are all part of what has made America so great.
And your talk of corruption and force is laughable. Was the Microwave made out of corruption? How about the Telephone? Light bulb? Computer? Micro-chip? The greatest things about America came about due to the LACK of corrupt govt use of force.
@Aliothemage Well, now I know what your definition of American is. When I speak of corruption and force, I'm talking about geopolitics. Using economics to strong arm another nation to get their resources, or using military force to get access to land or resources for self interest. All nations have done it & America is no exception.
However, your attitude problem leaves much to be desired. Get back to me when you've grown up and can have a civil debate without being an asshole about it.
lol, wow. If you think that what I was doing was out of line then you are in serious need of a trolling to thicken up your skin a bit.
But anyhow, Sure, America has been no saint. But that simply isn't what has made us great. We are the only power capable of imperialism in history who has declined the opportunity. Instead our private production has made us as strong as we are today. Our misadventures in places like the middle east are anything BUT making us stronger.
@TZMSocialEvolution, I take deep offense to your "blanket" statement of the "American psychological condition...blah blah blah". I am an American and I do not subscribe to anything you've ignorantly lumped me into. Yes there are greedy and selfish americans, as there are greedy and selfish europeans, asians, etc. Also ignorance is not strictly an "American" quality, as you've so just effectively illustrated. Now if you want to talk about carbon taxes, that is quite a different matter (or scam).
@Aceload I take deep offense to your misreading. I'm sure I used the word "general" in my statement, which is not an all inclusive term, but an observation indicating majority, but not all. I do my best to refrain from absolutes, because they are silly notions, as there are usually exceptions.
As for your take on other cultures, you're right! However, in my experience, the American culture in general has grabbed the larger portion of the selfish pie.
@TZMSocialEvolution How telling that it bothers us more that very few people dislike the video (819 vs 41) than the video getting great ratings. The comment system asks for hate, the thumb system asks for quick feedback, obviously the speech doesn't do that bad, does it?
In a world where half the people live on $2.00 a day or less, where basic needs of sustenance are a daily struggle, for someone to assert that 'their' position in the hierarchy of needs should be the one whereby all people aught measure their success is a serious degree of hubris. Happiness and love is only important to people for whom physical needs and security is already established. Unfortunately such basic necessities are not so sufficiently plentiful that we can stop measuring them.
Actually we do not count what we produce. We calculate what we consume. In a healthy economy, those two things tend to be similar, but it can get seriously skewed in certain circumstances, such as a debt funded 'stimulus' that increases consumption and thereby inflates the GDP measurement.
Any time an environmentalist says "you have enough" or you are "greedy", I want to tell them to fuck off. Who is this asshole to tell me that I have "enough". Sure, I could be more efficient, but to put an arbitrary and mythical cap on what "enough" is, is pure bullshit. Fuck him and fuck his statistics.
Happiness is the responsibility of the individual, so fuck his socialist utilitarianism and hedonistic calculus bullshit he recycled from Jeremy Bentham.
There's a bias in this study - why did he seperate people by national borders? Of course such a polling would lead him to the conclusion that firstly, national decisions are one of the best ways to influence people's well-being and secondly, the solution can be reached inside of the dominant paradigm. Why not poll country vs city, region vs region or today's "world culture" against remaining traditional cultures?
I don't really disagree with this guy, but frankly happiness is way overrated. People do not really know what they want. Happiness is a very vague notion, and it rarely describes people's actual desires. Happiness represents many different things to many different people, and a lot of these things are conflicting. I'll borrow from some fiction here, but desires cause the most unhappiness in the world, and I do not think that is a bad thing. Are we really human without desire?
But who's happiness should we measure? Who's definition of justice?
For example, envy makes people unhappy. People are more likely to tolerate hardship if they see their neighbors going through the same thing. But if someone suddenly became rich (ethically), those who remained at the same state will feel less happy even resentful. Despite the fact they were not made worse off.
Or what if the majority people of a country wished to exterminate a minority or one innocent person to make them happy?
It;'s all very nice to say "hey, Costa Rica abolished the army..." but if the UK did that (or anywhere else vaguely attracive in resources) it would be attacked within days, and probably by the US.
#1 Costa Rica, #2 Dominican Republic, #3 Jamaica? Places where gringos like to vacation. This report reeks of the Noble Savage theory version 2010. We're all here dancing merengue, rising with the sun, plucking organic fruit from the trees. The reality is violent crime, a collapsing public education system, narco corruption and gross inequalities. The only ones grinning are the idiots. Pura vida!
Is this man mental? He wonders why apocalyptic movies make for better entertainment than one's where everyone is sitting around smiling and hugging? Really? Damn hippies.
@GrimJackal Equilibrium, ever seen that movie? That wasn't 'apocalyptic', and everyone was sitting around smiling and hugging (albeit indoctrinated by pharmaceuticals ;p).
I'm appauled by some of your comments here. RIght away you are closing down, saying none of the things he said is possible, greed exists therefore we're doomed, what a pointless conversation, and so forth. Views like that are the cause of our problems. Instead of opening up to new ideas and FINDING ways to make them come true, you just choose to block them off. Someone said that happiness, health and love all cost money eventually. I want to know what makes that person happy, love and be loved..
The entire premise of this talk is demonstrably false. Look at the data--per capita GDP is very clearly correlated with such metrics of human wellbeing as lifespan, education, child mortality, death by infectious disease, malnutrition, access to water, access to sanitation facilities, poverty, and access to technology from cell phones to the internet. I don't think this guy is a liar, but his analysis of the data is utterly erroneous.
*Actually its your analysis of this talk which is erroneous. This man never denied that a certain amount of wealth is necessary for well-being, obviously people need shelter, sustenance and medicine and that cost money. However wealth only helps improve well-being up to a point and THAT is the point. A certain amount of wealth may be necessary for well being, but wealth is not sufficient for well-being and often we have more wealth than the amount which is necessary.
@moyga I understand why people often think that, but the trend of increasing wellbeing does continue to correlate with per-capita GDP when the data is plotted as a logarithmic trend.Plotted linearly, these metrics do seem to level off after a point, but this is not so logarithmically.For example, this means that cutting child mortality in half requires a doubling in per-cap GDP for both rich and poor countries.
Check out gapminder, Hans Rosling's website, to verify this for yourself.
so many of these talks are such BS. just a bunch of jibba jabba. do something worthwhile rather than trying to "inspire" others to do something useful.
@ceresWar yet you don't consider that statement ironic? why aren't you out doing something useful instead of making vague, negative comments, solving nothing.
@ceresWar so adding up, you've watched this film, apparently solving nothing, you've stated your opinion, solving nothing, and now you start flaming, solving nothing either. Why keep wasting your time (btw, if you want any credibility, don't reply to this)
I don't see the point in doing studies like these. It's not like it means much, either you live by philosophical principles based on rational reasoning or you appeal to emotional zeal.
This reminds me of that book "brave new world." A happy world can be dangerous, according to Huxley, but I guess I'll choose the dream over the nightmare.
@HDvideosaregood you missed the point...we are spending more resources than ever but happiness is not really reached. what he is trying to say (which could be wrong) that there is a lot of other outlet for happiness so that we can sacrifice some of our expenditures that we don't need and save this planet from environmental collapse
Okay this is a little Different here. This is called the Happy Planet Index. So just how would you measure happiness and a couple of indicators rather that GDP. Take a look and find out. Personally I like the idea.
I want to know what the transition process is. It's 'easy' to imagine better futures where people give and exercise, take notice, step up and make a difference. But how do we transition from having to always be making a paycheck? How do we deprioritize making a profit? I never hear anybody talking about that except Jaques Fresco of the Venus Project. That's a great idea but I have no idea how we could transition to it.
@pubcat5 you´re seeing it the other way around. it´s not the more love health and wealth the more happy you become. It´s the more happy you are. the more external things don´t matter. love, health and wealth are the consequences of being happy. happyness is a choice. as long as people don´t realize this they will never be happy. how many rock stars feel miserable? and yet they can have anything they want, and there job is making other people enjoy a moment of music. happyness is a choice man.
@hilariofreire thats why this man´s plan seems impossible, and people are criticizing him. He is measuring happyness (an emotion), with science. How do you make the world happy? if you feel fear, are you happy? no, that´s why you can only be happy if you lose all your fears. So, is he measuring how costa rica has less problems than other countrys, and less fear? yes, that´s why he is on the right track. but he is way ahead of his time. I dont see china going: you know what? we love you google.
i stop watching these vids the moment i hear "climate change" i dont care, talk about science thats interesting and worth thinking about, not something boring and not worth even mentioning.
The postcards he is distributing are made of paper, which is manufactured from trees... a postcard travels via trucks,airplanes, trains, cars and/or motorcycles.
The postcards will inevitability find their way to land fill , decompose and therefore be emitting greenhouse gases.
@themindminder haha, It would be nice if there was a online picture etc. so you could use as a screen saver :) I love how he giggles when he presents the postcard, haha like he had someone suggest a postcard and just went along with it... lol!
This is great. It blows apart the false paradigm that we either have to punish ourselves to live here past 50 years (most environmentalism) or we have to punish the planet to be happy now (mindless consumption/capitalism). I have long though neither is true and Nic has confirmed we can do better than either of those scenarios.
His chart at 7:30 shows the truth he seems to avoid. There are no rich unhappy countries and there are only a few happy poor countries. I.e. outliers. I tire of these videos that ever so gently, eloquently, and subtly try to convince the industrialized world to use 1/2 the resources they do, but still be happy. It isn't going to happen.
See the comments I had made earlier. The best arguments against what this guy proposes are in the actual HAPPY PLANET INDEX REPORT, as it totally contradict what it is he's saying.
Report:
"Further analysis showed that a nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels (correlation of .62), followed by wealth (.52), and then provision of education (.51).”
@HBSchool I'm not surprised. Even his chart showed that the happiest countries were the richest. There were no rich unhappy countries, not one. There were some moderately happy poor countries, and the crazy outlier of Costa Rica. I'm a moderate liberal and this is just too hug-a-tree. There are several of these Ted things where, after about 10 mintues, they finally get to the point: America needs to stop using all these resources and let others use them.
@majinspy true, but look at the graph again, there are plenty of countries that are in the same happy range that are less than half as wealthy. Its somewhat achievable in my opinion
@xXBeach This may be crass, but I simply think that the poor countries don't know what they're missing. The internet, cars, and skyscrapers are pretty cool. Also, his chart said people want love, happiness, and health. Well, those things cost money at some level. The moment this guy starts talking about disbanding the military and investing completely in social programs I just rolled my eyes. This is pure pie in thesky.
The guy needs to look beyond Hollywood, those movies are shit. However movies are not all that great indicator of the social atmosphere. Dystopias simple is more entertaining storywise. I for one am very enthusiastic of the future.
Well, A.C.C's visions have in many instances come sooner than 'predicted', so one can only hope that the 3001 notion of the entire world having accepted the communist theory of "'we have what we have, let's share it equally amongst us" as the only feasible way to (co)exist as a universe-exploring species comes sooner than 3001 too. Rather tomorrow than the day after. Pun on yet another disaster movie there.
@DimitriGoryenko I don't think it's all that vague. I think to get more specific, it would stop being applicable to some people. Spending time with loved ones, being more active, getting out of one's bubble and be aware of the world around you, continually giving your brain food and exposing yourself to new things, and giving... I think these are 5 good things that aren't terribly vague. They are different for every person but they are all somewhat specific instruction.
@DimitriGoryenko that was a heading u jackass. headings, by definition, must be vague. if they werent vague, they would be called descriptions, which i would venture to guess is that small text underneath the heading.
It does not surprise me one little bit that Costa Ricans are so happy. I have visited there for an extended vacation and those people are the most laid back, yet reasonably economically successful people in the world. (I was not able to study *why* this is the case, I only saw the end product.)
1) Happiness is not considered in serious studies because it is hard to define and to quantify, unlike the material goods. Also, happiness indexes are apriori subjective.
2) It seems that it would be a bit easier to be happy with 1/4 of resources on a tropical island (e.g., Costa Rica) rather than on an icy rocky island (e.g., Iceland).
TED likes this kind of unscientific dream-talk... Sad that it turns into a refuge for charlatans.
The environmental movement has been hi-jacked by politicians and corporate marketers to push us into a "cap-and-trade" style market where huge corporations can trade and sell carbon credits on the world market, making the rich, richer and the poor poorer.
People are now pushed to buy "green" and go "green"
It is the new religion.
Stand up for yourself, believe in what you can do, don't let the government and the corporations tell you how to be green, what to buy, and what to do.
But..friendship and selfdetermination isn't on this chart! How about freedom? Was it asked to those villagers? How about sustainable security? Justice a counterbalance to the excessive? An unrestricted form of democracy? Freedoms unlimited by state determinism?
@nekedemus - I weouldn't worry about it. These people are soooooo busy in their silly little bubble there will plenty of space and time for the real world to get on with things. You can see it already today, no matter how much these fucktards bitch about stem cell research or evolution (for example) research still continues....
Great presentation. However, until and unless we get control of the capitalists who are the driving force behind consumption and waste, then we'll find it almost impossible to achieve any true happiness. Strong control and regulation of greedy capitalists is a must. Because capitalism is predicated upon "scarcity" being used as a tool to create and maintain profits.
But your points on how to positively focus our attention towards our goals are definitely headed in the right direction.
@HBSchool I am not familiar with the study you reference so I won't comment upon it, nor it's validity to my point. However, wealth only matters to us because it can buy one's survival and comforts. So its the resources wealth acquires, not the money itself which has "true value." And no, I'm not arguing that the earth's resources are infinite. I am saying that the resources which we need to survive and to be happy are almost all renewable.
This guy's optimism is delusional. The entire purpose of industry is to extract resources, killing the planet for short term gain. The idea that it can do anything else is magical thinking.
Want to create or arrange a monumental "grounding" of people towards the 5 concepts - -One EMP (electro magnetic pulse) destroy the electrical grid, ought to do it. Take away the mass communication network - radio, TV, Internet. Take away the conveniences of modern life. Take away the expectation of entitlements. You will see real change in a HOT SECOND or, if you like a New York Minute !
The name 'Happy Planet Index' is misleading. HPI measures not happiness, but ecological efficiency in supporting well being. Also the 'Earth is a scarce resource' argument is bunk, as it doesn't take into account the price mechanism (things get more expensive when they are rarer, thus pushing people onto alternatives) and is Malthusian at best. Otherwise, the main point that growth does not equal to happiness is great! Indeed, growth and happiness has zero correlation.
Greedyspectator 1 month ago
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Thanks a lot!! the video is Amazing
andreeaweed 2 months ago
Thanks for the great videos & channel
juliacotic 2 months ago
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somewhere in Tibet there is a country that focuses on human happiness and its PIB is measured in how happy people are
andreeaweed 2 months ago in playlist The Best of TEDtalksDirector
i think were on the right track with this index but i dont see how countries like mexico who are in drug wars and poverty ridden can have a higher rating than a country like sweden with so many social welfare programs and how their culture is much more communally driven
Pwnstar57 3 months ago
I don't know about this... I live in the USA and Panama, and I wouldn't say that people are happier in Panama. Certainly, they use fewer resources to live, but by and large I don't see them as happier. Maybe the men are because they are on top of the food chain, but I'd say women there are much more labored, uneducated, burdened by too many children, poorly nourished, and just not that happy. Perhaps it's that their labor is most influenced by not using resources? This doesn't add up to me.
redcayenne0118 4 months ago
thumbs up for costa rica :)
luisalvarado2077 5 months ago 3
I would have been on my feet for the applause at the end, wow. These are the values that underpin all of humanity, we all need to carry them with us every day of our lives and encourage them in everyone that we meet through what we do and say. Thanks for this great talk, it couldn't have been put better
onesy1 5 months ago
he sounds like Ricky Gervais
stijnisgoed 5 months ago in playlist 2011 ones to watch
LOOOL I watched this while listening to This Land from Lion King (by Hans Zimmer) and it made this vid epic lol I'm moving to Costa Rica!
aajhetechocomel 8 months ago
Latin America?! Damn, it's time to turn the whole immigration thing around on them, I'm movin to Costa Rica!
mrbenderson005 9 months ago
Beautiful!
You're amazing Nic Marks
<3
hellothere230 9 months ago
He's absolutely right about environmentalists using fear to spread their agenda. There's nothing wrong with polluting less. It's something ALL of us should be on board with. But using extreme rhetoric and fear tactics has backfired BIG TIME in the past generation, and frankly, it's time for a new paradigm. People will react to a positive agenda that lays out benefits clearly.
nhprman 11 months ago 2
costa rica for the win!!!!!!!!!!
lordrazi111693 1 year ago
I wish someone upload this video with spanish subs. It's important that all people know what are really happening.
eliyu 1 year ago
I don't like the religiosity connected to the "positive twist" of the ecological movement. That's the same I see in friends &acquaintances that are active in this movement. Enthusiasm is good, but connecting a preacher to the ecological movement is, in my humble opinion, destroying some of the credibility of it, if it is his role as a preacher that is praised. Granted, MLK fought for his people, not for his church. But still, if you really want to change people's lifes, use economic incentives!
sjallalabumm 1 year ago
So many ways of saying the same thing. Lovely to hear a statistician world-view.
Get happy and empassion the solutions.
Theyeszone 1 year ago
The best speech i'v heard in weeks! Great inspiration! :) Good work.
extendetBG 1 year ago 8
@extendetBG i totally agree
zaia3957 1 year ago
The gradual increase in "happy life years" over time is probably ENTIRELY due to the constant increase in average life expectancy, and not due to increases in happiness.
roidroid 1 year ago
great talk!
Mat2DaW 1 year ago
Thank you for this...
prasadbabukoribilli 1 year ago
yeah US sucks (not america america is a continent!)
afin85 1 year ago
Finance, e.g. the stock market, is a fixed measurement and result. It is 6, or 7, or 8 or whatever. You are accountable for results. You live with the results.
The environmental movement runs on feelings and emotion. Global Ice Age turns into Acid Rain turns into Global Warming turns into Climate Change. Each has some data, but are not provable and no one is held accountable, a.k.a. gets fired, because they "feel". The eco movement will never want true measurement and accountability.
pnkearns 1 year ago
Ohh! I love that little experiment of his with giving 200 dollars to people and see if they are happier at the end of the day after spending it on themselves or on others!
Let me get this straight. People don't become happy spending money they DIDN'T EARN on themselves. That is somehow supposed to equate with having to spend your own hard earned money on other people who didn't earn it rather then yourself?
This guy needs to think a bit more about the stuff he is saying.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
@Aliothemage he is speaking at TED and your speaking here mmm who is the idiot
afin85 1 year ago
@afin85
Ohh, is that right? Well then, since I'm so lacking in the intellect department why don't you actually tell me what was wrong with my argument.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
This is baloney. Standard economics takes into account resource use already and it already takes into account happiness. This is just an attempt to re-write economics by some subjective standards this guy wants.
And trying to directly measure "happiness" in Costa Rica or anywhere else is futile. People can't judge their own happiness in comparison with others, the entire idea is based on data that is impossible to collect. This whole thing is a joke.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
@Aliothemage shut up hillbilly
afin85 1 year ago
I watched it...! xx
AllyMonkey1 1 year ago
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AllyMonkey1 1 year ago
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urbanexcavations 1 year ago
what about a $ amount for all living beings. I remember a professor, in charge of all the trees in California @ UC Berkeley had no $ support for research to understand why the diseased Tan Oaks were on the road to extinction.
urbanexcavations 1 year ago
If there was profit in making happy it would happen in a year. I am sure change/transition is coming. I am afraid disaster will bring it about. There are many sensible people looking for ways to bring the world into a more happy state of being. The problem lies in the old ways of thinking. The government is not going to do it. Business will not do it. People have to take the responsibility to do it themselves.
10Pups 1 year ago
Definitely one of the most empowering talks from TED. This is why organizations such as TED is such an important piece of the 21st century. If we listened to the TEDtalks instead of corrupt politicians, we would revolutionize this planet within 25 years.
invadercheeze 1 year ago
does anyone see why costa rica may have a higher life expectancy compared to the us? how about population size! costa rica is way smaller than the us!
gatoradeee 1 year ago
@gatoradeee I do. Walking, PREVENTATIVE health care,low stress and real food.
Arenalgarden 1 year ago
How true....How true.....
justkarmatoo 1 year ago
The only thing I see that they are forgetting is that Costa Rica is very tiny compared to the USA and other Western countries. Maybe... They are comparing the ratio of population to resources used, but it's not stated, so I don't know.
EyeWasThereDude 1 year ago
Happiness is definitely something that many of us are seeking after. To connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give... I do believe that these are the things that keep us happy for most of the time. The only thing is that happy people are less likely to be as successful as others...
jlspszj 1 year ago
wow, fantastic.
Tianaism 1 year ago
Costa Rica @ 7:54
costarica 1 year ago
Wonderful talk. Just wonderful. ^.^ I love TED so much. One day I'm going to give a speech at one of their conferences.
Louislane20042000 1 year ago
great talk!
MrTopherProductions 1 year ago
Thanks Tedtalks, your video are kickass!
CetraTJ 1 year ago
2 words: Star Trek
enforce007 1 year ago
@enforce007 2 words: Why not? :)
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
amazing. it sickens me that our lives are ruled by man made money.
tomando1983 1 year ago
i laugh when i see the cameraman on the background
holyboddy 1 year ago
@holyboddy You're a retard then.
nilbud 1 year ago
@nilbud hater!
holyboddy 1 year ago
"Happiness is a lot to ask for." is what somb0dee told me when I said I want happiness, 2 years ago.
Utsusemi 1 year ago
i agree with everything Nic is saying.
being "happy" is a choice. it is your mind, change it as you see fit.
empower yourself.
i am very "green" without the assistance of "government"-it is not an answer-it is cancer. the entire cap and trade hoax is nothing more than a scheme, devised by ENRON to shake us down, and enrich cretins like goldamn sachs, algore "the carbon whore" and the other owners of CCX.
green? YES! :-)
cap and trade? NO! :-(
wolfgangfaust 1 year ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
TMZS go fuck yourself people who are poor stay poor for their own reasons. The only one who is a greedy douche is you faggot. To say that we must give our money to people who are destitute for no reason out of compusolry? Thats theft clear and thru, and lets go into that America's give more charity to the world each year than any damn other country's government does.Go live north korea where capitalism and selfishness is supressed tell me how that goes for you faggot bastard die while shitting.
imperiallion 1 year ago
@imperiallion
Try to act your age a bit more and expand your vocabulary beyond fuck, faggot and shit. You sound like a 12 year old.
Phyrexious 1 year ago 25
@imperiallion You are a fucking moron and an illiterate. You piggy little weakling. You confuse typical crooked US accounting fraud with reality. You despicable lame cowardly fool.
nilbud 1 year ago
BEST EVER what are we up to in this world talk..
bvrcrap56 1 year ago
I have heard this stuff before from other Ted talks. It's a shame really.
GordonEdward 1 year ago
Nic, great stuff! you can track, measure, and send happiness in organizations and the world that matter with Mazimo Magic Moments ... Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Appreciate Learn, Give some Magic today. A free account can give you a lot of happiness. I invite you to the beta user group
GLC080808 1 year ago
Stop all the Catholics and Morons, ah hum, Mormons from having 10 kids per family... and get rid of all the fucking assholes out there and we'll all be happier.
passionfortruth 1 year ago
I also have a dream that people will stop talking about action and actually do what they say.
Buut by saying that, I just destroyed my dream.
shunnehling 1 year ago
@shunnehling I'm one of the people in your dream, that attempt to take action in place of saying what I'll do.
GodofCider 1 year ago 2
That's what the environmentalists should do. They should put up ads showing a picture of Costa Rica and saying something like saving the Earth could make your home look like this.
LudicrousTachyon 1 year ago 2
@TheBermuda:
Because what he wants is gentle manipulation and social control.
minesgtrr34 1 year ago
@minesgtrr34 How is anything he talked about social control?
detore 1 year ago
This was refreshing. I don't understand why so many people are disagreeing with it...
TheBermuda 1 year ago 2
How telling, that this Youtube thread (a website generally populated by Americans) is loaded with attacks and venom towards this speech. It should say something about the American psychological condition of greed, selfishness and complete disregard for the rest of the world. How sad.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago 109
@TZMSocialEvolution How telling, someone with cultural prejudices likes to run their mouth about them in public.
LokiClock 1 year ago
@LokiClock Isn't running your mouth in public how we reflect on ourselves, others, and society itself. Isn't that called calling a spade a spade? If you are somehow offended by the statement Loki then it is you who has the broad, national sense of identity is it not? It is accurate to say that it is embeddeded in U.S / U.K culture to care very much for the 'self' - whether its materialism or status -and it's true, it's unsurprising this kind of video is attacked.I see nothing prejudice about it.
MarioSavioTZM 1 year ago
@LokiClock Actually in science it's called observation, not prejudice. Prejudice would be me making that statement before anyone said a word, assuming American's (who represent the greatest demographic of YT) would attack this video. However, in this case, I'm stating observed fact, that the majority of this thread IS attacking this video, and the demographics still apply in either case.
Note: I'm an American, and dislike the arrogant selfish attitudes we've cultivated.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution Nice.
nilbud 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution
well said
ManSeekingMonkey 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution This is just weak inductive reasoning that results in a false generalization. Some Americans (we're assuming) made nasty comments. Therefore, we can now draw conclusions about all Americans.
LesGomez 1 year ago
@LesGomez No, it's called statistical analysis. Everything I've stated serves as true indicators. And I never said 'all', I made it general on purpose, because unless I survey every person on here, I cannot make an exact determination. However, many of the comments themselves are directly telling.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution Ironically the popularity of your reply undoes its own conclusion! A good number of people (most likely Americans we're forced now to assume) agree with you. With that in mind weak induction gives this argument too much credit. It's really just good old fashioned name calling. :)
LesGomez 1 year ago 2
@LesGomez Is it name calling to make an observation on what is actually observed? I'm basing my statements on what's actually happening in this thread & the truth of the demographic characteristics of YouTube.
But you do make an excellent point, that those who agree with me are also probably Americans. Yet it only undoes my conclusion if the support outnumbers the negatives. Hard to gauge that one.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution
Or maybe it points out that this video is nonsense. We Americans have invented most of the world's modern day technology and we have done more to make ourselves and the rest of the world better off then any other nation in the last 200 years.
The rest of the world has a lot to thank us for, including our "greed" which has motivated us to improve the world so much.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
@Aliothemage Go back and check your history books. The majority of our technology was invented by immigrants from other nations (Germany, Serbia, etc). The country of America gave them a chance to do their work, but they weren't naturally "American". Of course, to define what is American would be an interesting topic, but the attitude is exemplified by your statements.
"THANKS TO US," without regard to the exploitation, corruption and force employed globally to make it so. Hypocritical.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution
Lol, last I checked Immigrants were American. They came to America for a reason, or more accurately, many reasons. Those reasons and they themselves are all part of what has made America so great.
And your talk of corruption and force is laughable. Was the Microwave made out of corruption? How about the Telephone? Light bulb? Computer? Micro-chip? The greatest things about America came about due to the LACK of corrupt govt use of force.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
@Aliothemage Well, now I know what your definition of American is. When I speak of corruption and force, I'm talking about geopolitics. Using economics to strong arm another nation to get their resources, or using military force to get access to land or resources for self interest. All nations have done it & America is no exception.
However, your attitude problem leaves much to be desired. Get back to me when you've grown up and can have a civil debate without being an asshole about it.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution
lol, wow. If you think that what I was doing was out of line then you are in serious need of a trolling to thicken up your skin a bit.
But anyhow, Sure, America has been no saint. But that simply isn't what has made us great. We are the only power capable of imperialism in history who has declined the opportunity. Instead our private production has made us as strong as we are today. Our misadventures in places like the middle east are anything BUT making us stronger.
Aliothemage 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution everything was invented by europeans since the begining on man kind what the fuck you talking about
afin85 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution, I take deep offense to your "blanket" statement of the "American psychological condition...blah blah blah". I am an American and I do not subscribe to anything you've ignorantly lumped me into. Yes there are greedy and selfish americans, as there are greedy and selfish europeans, asians, etc. Also ignorance is not strictly an "American" quality, as you've so just effectively illustrated. Now if you want to talk about carbon taxes, that is quite a different matter (or scam).
Aceload 1 year ago
@Aceload I take deep offense to your misreading. I'm sure I used the word "general" in my statement, which is not an all inclusive term, but an observation indicating majority, but not all. I do my best to refrain from absolutes, because they are silly notions, as there are usually exceptions.
As for your take on other cultures, you're right! However, in my experience, the American culture in general has grabbed the larger portion of the selfish pie.
Thanks for the insults though. Take care.
TZMSocialEvolution 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution What about all the people that thumbed up your comment?
stoddcrew 1 year ago
@TZMSocialEvolution How telling that it bothers us more that very few people dislike the video (819 vs 41) than the video getting great ratings. The comment system asks for hate, the thumb system asks for quick feedback, obviously the speech doesn't do that bad, does it?
gusphraba 9 months ago
So demolish the middle classes in the western world....that the elite globalists plan isnt it??
joblowphoto 1 year ago
@joblowphoto Get the fuck back to watching glen beck you fucking peasant.
nilbud 1 year ago
In a world where half the people live on $2.00 a day or less, where basic needs of sustenance are a daily struggle, for someone to assert that 'their' position in the hierarchy of needs should be the one whereby all people aught measure their success is a serious degree of hubris. Happiness and love is only important to people for whom physical needs and security is already established. Unfortunately such basic necessities are not so sufficiently plentiful that we can stop measuring them.
Panpiper 1 year ago
Actually we do not count what we produce. We calculate what we consume. In a healthy economy, those two things tend to be similar, but it can get seriously skewed in certain circumstances, such as a debt funded 'stimulus' that increases consumption and thereby inflates the GDP measurement.
Panpiper 1 year ago
This is the single worst TED talk I've ever seen.
lukeev 1 year ago
Any time an environmentalist says "you have enough" or you are "greedy", I want to tell them to fuck off. Who is this asshole to tell me that I have "enough". Sure, I could be more efficient, but to put an arbitrary and mythical cap on what "enough" is, is pure bullshit. Fuck him and fuck his statistics.
Happiness is the responsibility of the individual, so fuck his socialist utilitarianism and hedonistic calculus bullshit he recycled from Jeremy Bentham.
FlowCell 1 year ago
How dumb are you?
qaddodi 1 year ago
There's a bias in this study - why did he seperate people by national borders? Of course such a polling would lead him to the conclusion that firstly, national decisions are one of the best ways to influence people's well-being and secondly, the solution can be reached inside of the dominant paradigm. Why not poll country vs city, region vs region or today's "world culture" against remaining traditional cultures?
DoJaenin 1 year ago
I don't really disagree with this guy, but frankly happiness is way overrated. People do not really know what they want. Happiness is a very vague notion, and it rarely describes people's actual desires. Happiness represents many different things to many different people, and a lot of these things are conflicting. I'll borrow from some fiction here, but desires cause the most unhappiness in the world, and I do not think that is a bad thing. Are we really human without desire?
sparklymage 1 year ago 2
But who's happiness should we measure? Who's definition of justice?
For example, envy makes people unhappy. People are more likely to tolerate hardship if they see their neighbors going through the same thing. But if someone suddenly became rich (ethically), those who remained at the same state will feel less happy even resentful. Despite the fact they were not made worse off.
Or what if the majority people of a country wished to exterminate a minority or one innocent person to make them happy?
libertarianPinoy 1 year ago
It;'s all very nice to say "hey, Costa Rica abolished the army..." but if the UK did that (or anywhere else vaguely attracive in resources) it would be attacked within days, and probably by the US.
MusicStudyMan 1 year ago
Actually, 5 things to be happy:
Have a lot of sex.
Play a lot of videogames.
Keep learning.
Have even more sex.
Do art.
DrQuijano 1 year ago 4
@DrQuijano This comment made me 2% happier.
lukeev 1 year ago
#1 Costa Rica, #2 Dominican Republic, #3 Jamaica? Places where gringos like to vacation. This report reeks of the Noble Savage theory version 2010. We're all here dancing merengue, rising with the sun, plucking organic fruit from the trees. The reality is violent crime, a collapsing public education system, narco corruption and gross inequalities. The only ones grinning are the idiots. Pura vida!
santaana36 1 year ago
Costa Rica is awesome!
technologyms 1 year ago 3
Financial system the great wealth destroyer.
austpom333 1 year ago 2
Is this man mental? He wonders why apocalyptic movies make for better entertainment than one's where everyone is sitting around smiling and hugging? Really? Damn hippies.
GrimJackal 1 year ago
@GrimJackal Equilibrium, ever seen that movie? That wasn't 'apocalyptic', and everyone was sitting around smiling and hugging (albeit indoctrinated by pharmaceuticals ;p).
killgroup 1 year ago
They forgot a third sample, have them spend half the money on themselves and half on others :P.
Shalek 1 year ago
Great great message here!
Is there any where to get those cards with the five things he talked about??
timmyguy13 1 year ago
Why do all black people have nightmares? Cuz the first one to have a dream got shot.
mixmast71 1 year ago
@mixmast71 That's so funny and sad.
Shalek 1 year ago
Disolve all armies in the world!!!
Mon4ch0 1 year ago 5
I'm appauled by some of your comments here. RIght away you are closing down, saying none of the things he said is possible, greed exists therefore we're doomed, what a pointless conversation, and so forth. Views like that are the cause of our problems. Instead of opening up to new ideas and FINDING ways to make them come true, you just choose to block them off. Someone said that happiness, health and love all cost money eventually. I want to know what makes that person happy, love and be loved..
PrimeTO 1 year ago
The entire premise of this talk is demonstrably false. Look at the data--per capita GDP is very clearly correlated with such metrics of human wellbeing as lifespan, education, child mortality, death by infectious disease, malnutrition, access to water, access to sanitation facilities, poverty, and access to technology from cell phones to the internet. I don't think this guy is a liar, but his analysis of the data is utterly erroneous.
CognitiveImbias 1 year ago
Comment removed
moyga 1 year ago
@CognitiveImbias
*Actually its your analysis of this talk which is erroneous. This man never denied that a certain amount of wealth is necessary for well-being, obviously people need shelter, sustenance and medicine and that cost money. However wealth only helps improve well-being up to a point and THAT is the point. A certain amount of wealth may be necessary for well being, but wealth is not sufficient for well-being and often we have more wealth than the amount which is necessary.
moyga 1 year ago
@moyga I understand why people often think that, but the trend of increasing wellbeing does continue to correlate with per-capita GDP when the data is plotted as a logarithmic trend.Plotted linearly, these metrics do seem to level off after a point, but this is not so logarithmically.For example, this means that cutting child mortality in half requires a doubling in per-cap GDP for both rich and poor countries.
Check out gapminder, Hans Rosling's website, to verify this for yourself.
CognitiveImbias 1 year ago
COSTARICA COSTARICA!!! TAN BELLA MI TIERRA
edtronic 1 year ago
so many of these talks are such BS. just a bunch of jibba jabba. do something worthwhile rather than trying to "inspire" others to do something useful.
ceresWar 1 year ago
@ceresWar what a naive thing to say..
589216001 1 year ago
@ceresWar yet you don't consider that statement ironic? why aren't you out doing something useful instead of making vague, negative comments, solving nothing.
MrJaiLeeworthy 1 year ago
@MrJaiLeeworthy ok smartass, the time it took me to type my opinion was 3 seconds. people like this waste their life spouting nonsense. but nice try.
ceresWar 1 year ago
@ceresWar so adding up, you've watched this film, apparently solving nothing, you've stated your opinion, solving nothing, and now you start flaming, solving nothing either. Why keep wasting your time (btw, if you want any credibility, don't reply to this)
MrJaiLeeworthy 1 year ago
I don't see the point in doing studies like these. It's not like it means much, either you live by philosophical principles based on rational reasoning or you appeal to emotional zeal.
reapfreak 1 year ago
This reminds me of that book "brave new world." A happy world can be dangerous, according to Huxley, but I guess I'll choose the dream over the nightmare.
Ghazzawi9 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
What is happiness? It's an individual thing.
And WTF does this have to do with CO2 reductions? Really bad TED talk.
HDvideosaregood 1 year ago
@HDvideosaregood you missed the point...we are spending more resources than ever but happiness is not really reached. what he is trying to say (which could be wrong) that there is a lot of other outlet for happiness so that we can sacrifice some of our expenditures that we don't need and save this planet from environmental collapse
megalibra82 1 year ago 4
Okay this is a little Different here. This is called the Happy Planet Index. So just how would you measure happiness and a couple of indicators rather that GDP. Take a look and find out. Personally I like the idea.
cadude145 1 year ago
I want to know what the transition process is. It's 'easy' to imagine better futures where people give and exercise, take notice, step up and make a difference. But how do we transition from having to always be making a paycheck? How do we deprioritize making a profit? I never hear anybody talking about that except Jaques Fresco of the Venus Project. That's a great idea but I have no idea how we could transition to it.
ashleylovesdaddy 1 year ago
I would like to ask a question. Isn't happiness made up of love, health, and wealth?
pubcat5 1 year ago
@pubcat5 happiness is a choice
hilariofreire 1 year ago
@hilariofreire and wouldn't love, health, and wealth facilitate that choice?
pubcat5 1 year ago
@pubcat5 you´re seeing it the other way around. it´s not the more love health and wealth the more happy you become. It´s the more happy you are. the more external things don´t matter. love, health and wealth are the consequences of being happy. happyness is a choice. as long as people don´t realize this they will never be happy. how many rock stars feel miserable? and yet they can have anything they want, and there job is making other people enjoy a moment of music. happyness is a choice man.
hilariofreire 1 year ago
@hilariofreire thats why this man´s plan seems impossible, and people are criticizing him. He is measuring happyness (an emotion), with science. How do you make the world happy? if you feel fear, are you happy? no, that´s why you can only be happy if you lose all your fears. So, is he measuring how costa rica has less problems than other countrys, and less fear? yes, that´s why he is on the right track. but he is way ahead of his time. I dont see china going: you know what? we love you google.
hilariofreire 1 year ago
i stop watching these vids the moment i hear "climate change" i dont care, talk about science thats interesting and worth thinking about, not something boring and not worth even mentioning.
kereberus 1 year ago
Money is just an illusion , albeit a very persistent one
oicub2 1 year ago
@oicub2 Money is like a nightmare that recurs in your dreams.
LazyOtaku 1 year ago
15:18
The postcards he is distributing are made of paper, which is manufactured from trees... a postcard travels via trucks,airplanes, trains, cars and/or motorcycles.
The postcards will inevitability find their way to land fill , decompose and therefore be emitting greenhouse gases.
FAIL
themindminder 1 year ago
@themindminder He was talking about the ideas themselves, not the postcards. He would have been better off not showing them.
bunker537 1 year ago
@themindminder haha, It would be nice if there was a online picture etc. so you could use as a screen saver :) I love how he giggles when he presents the postcard, haha like he had someone suggest a postcard and just went along with it... lol!
Undeterminable 1 year ago
@themindminder Unless of course it's recycled paper that is...
Also nobody ever said we should stop using paper, just cut down on it.
VigilanteSidekick 1 year ago
I blame the news. Every night murder, extortion, rape the new threat.... even though all those figures are going down
newusername01 1 year ago
LOL go tell China to stop using all those planet's resources, see what happens. Just another utopian dreamer.
Indrius 1 year ago
This is great. It blows apart the false paradigm that we either have to punish ourselves to live here past 50 years (most environmentalism) or we have to punish the planet to be happy now (mindless consumption/capitalism). I have long though neither is true and Nic has confirmed we can do better than either of those scenarios.
speedbmp 1 year ago
His chart at 7:30 shows the truth he seems to avoid. There are no rich unhappy countries and there are only a few happy poor countries. I.e. outliers. I tire of these videos that ever so gently, eloquently, and subtly try to convince the industrialized world to use 1/2 the resources they do, but still be happy. It isn't going to happen.
majinspy 1 year ago
@majinspy
See the comments I had made earlier. The best arguments against what this guy proposes are in the actual HAPPY PLANET INDEX REPORT, as it totally contradict what it is he's saying.
Report:
"Further analysis showed that a nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels (correlation of .62), followed by wealth (.52), and then provision of education (.51).”
HBSchool 1 year ago
@HBSchool I'm not surprised. Even his chart showed that the happiest countries were the richest. There were no rich unhappy countries, not one. There were some moderately happy poor countries, and the crazy outlier of Costa Rica. I'm a moderate liberal and this is just too hug-a-tree. There are several of these Ted things where, after about 10 mintues, they finally get to the point: America needs to stop using all these resources and let others use them.
It. Won't. Happen. Human greed exists.
majinspy 1 year ago
@majinspy true, but look at the graph again, there are plenty of countries that are in the same happy range that are less than half as wealthy. Its somewhat achievable in my opinion
xXBeach 1 year ago
@xXBeach This may be crass, but I simply think that the poor countries don't know what they're missing. The internet, cars, and skyscrapers are pretty cool. Also, his chart said people want love, happiness, and health. Well, those things cost money at some level. The moment this guy starts talking about disbanding the military and investing completely in social programs I just rolled my eyes. This is pure pie in thesky.
majinspy 1 year ago
@majinspy costa rica did it ? ur right but theres 'hope' haha'
xXBeach 1 year ago
TED, enough with the socialism. GDP is a fraud, but switching it to hippy BS solves nothing.
NietzscheanMan 1 year ago
The guy needs to look beyond Hollywood, those movies are shit. However movies are not all that great indicator of the social atmosphere. Dystopias simple is more entertaining storywise. I for one am very enthusiastic of the future.
lordmetroid 1 year ago
Well, A.C.C's visions have in many instances come sooner than 'predicted', so one can only hope that the 3001 notion of the entire world having accepted the communist theory of "'we have what we have, let's share it equally amongst us" as the only feasible way to (co)exist as a universe-exploring species comes sooner than 3001 too. Rather tomorrow than the day after. Pun on yet another disaster movie there.
piotrezzz 1 year ago
Liberal communists fuck off!
organdva 1 year ago
interesting up to the 5 things that make you happy, its always these really vague shit, "connect..." ROFL XD
DimitriGoryenko 1 year ago
@DimitriGoryenko I don't think it's all that vague. I think to get more specific, it would stop being applicable to some people. Spending time with loved ones, being more active, getting out of one's bubble and be aware of the world around you, continually giving your brain food and exposing yourself to new things, and giving... I think these are 5 good things that aren't terribly vague. They are different for every person but they are all somewhat specific instruction.
zmgnowai 1 year ago
@DimitriGoryenko that was a heading u jackass. headings, by definition, must be vague. if they werent vague, they would be called descriptions, which i would venture to guess is that small text underneath the heading.
hossboss96 1 year ago
@DimitriGoryenko Even though it got a bit airy fairy at the end I still think the overall message was a good one.
detore 1 year ago
It does not surprise me one little bit that Costa Ricans are so happy. I have visited there for an extended vacation and those people are the most laid back, yet reasonably economically successful people in the world. (I was not able to study *why* this is the case, I only saw the end product.)
websnarf 1 year ago
1) Happiness is not considered in serious studies because it is hard to define and to quantify, unlike the material goods. Also, happiness indexes are apriori subjective.
2) It seems that it would be a bit easier to be happy with 1/4 of resources on a tropical island (e.g., Costa Rica) rather than on an icy rocky island (e.g., Iceland).
TED likes this kind of unscientific dream-talk... Sad that it turns into a refuge for charlatans.
CeBePuH 1 year ago
The environmental movement has been hi-jacked by politicians and corporate marketers to push us into a "cap-and-trade" style market where huge corporations can trade and sell carbon credits on the world market, making the rich, richer and the poor poorer.
People are now pushed to buy "green" and go "green"
It is the new religion.
Stand up for yourself, believe in what you can do, don't let the government and the corporations tell you how to be green, what to buy, and what to do.
CliveSinclairZX 1 year ago 2
But..friendship and selfdetermination isn't on this chart! How about freedom? Was it asked to those villagers? How about sustainable security? Justice a counterbalance to the excessive? An unrestricted form of democracy? Freedoms unlimited by state determinism?
huibruben 1 year ago
@huibruben Friendship correlates with the "connect" aspect of the chart. And selfdetermination would fit in the "Take Notice"
gayglue 1 year ago
@huibruben Connect is friendship dummy.
leejae 1 year ago
65% of Americans think Fox news is fair and balanced.
there are more churches then schools.
Dumb is the new smart.
Keep on dreaming...
Ignorance and stupidity will bring us down..
Drill baby drill.
nekedemus 1 year ago 45
@nekedemus LOL, sorry but the first statistic is just plain sad...
gayglue 1 year ago
@nekedemus - I weouldn't worry about it. These people are soooooo busy in their silly little bubble there will plenty of space and time for the real world to get on with things. You can see it already today, no matter how much these fucktards bitch about stem cell research or evolution (for example) research still continues....
TheSpankymonkey 1 year ago
Great presentation. However, until and unless we get control of the capitalists who are the driving force behind consumption and waste, then we'll find it almost impossible to achieve any true happiness. Strong control and regulation of greedy capitalists is a must. Because capitalism is predicated upon "scarcity" being used as a tool to create and maintain profits.
But your points on how to positively focus our attention towards our goals are definitely headed in the right direction.
DeSwiss 1 year ago
@DeSwiss
Lol, according to the HPI study, true happiness is closely associated with wealth.
"Because capitalism is predicated upon 'scarcity'"
Are you arguing that the earths resources are infinite?
HBSchool 1 year ago
@HBSchool I am not familiar with the study you reference so I won't comment upon it, nor it's validity to my point. However, wealth only matters to us because it can buy one's survival and comforts. So its the resources wealth acquires, not the money itself which has "true value." And no, I'm not arguing that the earth's resources are infinite. I am saying that the resources which we need to survive and to be happy are almost all renewable.
Google: Venus Project - Resource Based Economy
DeSwiss 1 year ago
This guy's optimism is delusional. The entire purpose of industry is to extract resources, killing the planet for short term gain. The idea that it can do anything else is magical thinking.
AntiLoquaxx 1 year ago
Pretty diluted.. nothing new.. ignores very relevant problems the same way mainstream does..
MarkoKraguljac 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Wake up and smell the truth man.
MONEY = HAPPINESS
GooDpropeller 1 year ago
Comment removed
GooDpropeller 1 year ago
Want to create or arrange a monumental "grounding" of people towards the 5 concepts - -One EMP (electro magnetic pulse) destroy the electrical grid, ought to do it. Take away the mass communication network - radio, TV, Internet. Take away the conveniences of modern life. Take away the expectation of entitlements. You will see real change in a HOT SECOND or, if you like a New York Minute !
Snowflake70 1 year ago
@Snowflake70 running water, modern medicine.
Health is kinda important for happiness.
roidroid 1 year ago